Following a tip that police Chief Dave Boyett picked up years ago in Oklahoma, the city agreed recently to spend $3,000 in drug asset forfeiture money for a pile of 3,700 whistles -- some silver, some white plastic.

The idea, untried in South Florida but in place at various colleges and in Fresno, Calif., is to train residents to tweet the whistle when trouble looms.

Boyett said a whistle-bearing officer can get a foot in the door to deliver crime-avoidance tips to community groups.

"It matches so well with South Florida because we have the great weather, outdoor activities, apartment complexes and condos."

Blowing the "American Defender" whistle might scare an attacker away, says the accompanying pamphlet. At the least, it will alert others that help is needed.

In Fresno County, where the program has been in place since the '80s, crime prevention supervisor Colleen Mestas said neighborhood watch groups sell the whistles for $2 each.

"It's pretty popular in this county," Mestas said. "A lot of the apartment complexes, especially where there's elderly, have it."

A group of about 30 seniors at a Seniors and Law Enforcement Together meeting Wednesday furiously tore at the plastic wrappers to get to their shiny silver whistles engraved with City of Sunrise police badges. It took one man a little too long.

"The guy would've had all your money out of all your pockets by now," Police Officer Frank Grillo chided.

When the city's batch runs empty, corporate sponsors step in. Gold's Gym paid for a pile of yellow, plastic ones. Coca-Cola is engraving its logo on the silver model.

Wednesday's group, clearly supportive of the program, did a little target practice, aiming for the eardrums.

"We play cards in the clubhouse at night, and when we walk out, it's quite dark," said Sunrise Lakes condo resident Edythe Mittelman.

"That's a good time to have a whistle in your hand."

"It's very loud. I think it can be heard from a great distance," said Shirley Rubenstein

There's also a procedure for neighbors hearing the whistle's shrill scream.

"If you see trouble from your home," the instructions read, "Call police," then "Open a window and blow the whistle. As other whistles blow, go outside, and -- keeping a safe distance -- continue blowing."